User Reviews

I'm not such a big fan of all these flight sim games and was a bit weary of tackling Ace Combat 6, but I needn't worry. It's not really about getting all of the technical controls accurate as much as it's about ACTION! As the first of the Ace Combat games to be released on a next-gen console, Atari have certainly given their best effort at using the XBOX 360 to the max.

I'm not the best when it comes to controlling games but the gradual increasing complexity of the game eases you into it nicely. But less about that and more about the graphics. Though far from being an avid video-gamer, I have been playing video games since the mid-80s and it's no exaggeration to say that Ace Combat 6 literally has the BEST graphics I have ever seen. They are so incredibly photo-realistic that you'll think you're actually in control of a real fighter plane.

Most of the aircraft are actual licensed fighter planes though there aren't as many to choose from this time around. The stunning environments and landscapes are so gorgeous and believable you'd be forgiven that they are lifted from Google earth (albeit an extremely high-resolution Google Earth). It's the kind of game where simply flying around and buzzing over the mountains and oceans is its own kind of fun. In some ways I wish I had my own plane so I could soar into the heavens like I did with this game. Terrific escapism indeed.

But this game isn't actually set on Earth. To avoid any serious political subtext (I assume) the good guys in the game are from a country called Emmeria, where all is well and happy and the bad guys from from Estovakia. At the risk of sounding xenophobic, Estovakia is where evil comes from. The good guys refer to them as 'Stovies' but here in Scotland that word means 'Corned Beef Hash'. So that is quite funny for me.

I can't play online, as I don't have that capability. But the single player is splendid on it's own. With great graphics, impressive visual effects, an awesome sound design and a thumpingly good score (where is the CD?), what more could you want from a game? Be nice to your XBOX and buy it some eye candy.

You are an ace pilot in the fictional Emmerian Air Force. Badly beaten by the invading country of Estovakia, you and your countrymen are huddled up on a nearby island. Your main objective henceforth is to stop the total elimination of Emmeria and lead your forces to kick the Estovakians out. This game is different from its predecessors, weaving your character's own experiences of the war with the stories of military personnel from both countries. Each individual battle-space has also expanded; forcing you to keep tabs on up to six battalions at once is truly for 'The Next Generation Of Aces'. While it's really demanding and you have only 15 aircraft to choose from, the cockpits are brilliantly animated, the graphics are spectacular, the orchestral pieces are enjoyable and you have plenty of goodies that cannot be unlocked on the first play-through. Overall not Halo 3 standard but still worth considering. Job well done, Namco.

Just another quick review here, as I must admit I grew tired of the game after only a couple of sessions.

Whilst Ace Combat 6 is nice to look at and the controls are responsive, the story is impenetrable (which I accept is my fault for joining in game six, rather than game one) and the dogfights quickly revolve, as they do in all my experience of dogfighting games, into endless spinning to try and gain the shot on an enemy who is also spinning to do the same to you.

Specific to this game I found it difficult to work out exactly what the target was supposed to be. The opening mission involves a bombing run that you have to quell by destroying the bombers, but there were so many targets I was happily shooting down planes only to fail the mission as apparently these weren't the right planes I was supposed to be after.

So after that happened a couple of times, I decided that life was too short, and on to the next game.